PERICEI, Salaj, Romania--During the Festival of Onion,
a 21,32 feet (6.5 meters)- tall monument to the onion, ordered
and sponsored by the business man Alexandru Tatar a.k.a.
“Sandu of Pericei” has been inaugurated, setting the
world record for the Largest
monument to the onion.

The monument to natural anti-flu aid, the
onion, is made of stone, iron, concrete and resins, it is
6.5 meters high and has the natural color of the vegetable,
costing $6,700 (over 200 million 'Lei') and it was made by
the dean of the Faculty of Visual Arts of Oradea, Cornel Durgheu.
(enlarge
photo)

“Through this monument, the onion became
an act of culture. And not just any act, but an unique act
in the world”, Durgheu said, on the uncovering of the construction.
Ioan Mintas, the owner of CIAC company
took care of the technical aspects of the work.

“The Largest
monument to the onion” was ordered and paid by a businessman
from Pericei who settled in Oradea, where he is known as “Sandu
of Pericei”. “Sandu of Pericei” was inspired by a monument
to the tulip which he saw in Voorhout city, in southern Netherlands,
and he ordered the statue of the onion to a sculptor in Oradea.

Alexandru Tatar a.k.a. “Sandu
of Pericei” began his business trying to “export” onions to
Austria and Germany. The nickname that afterwards became a
trade mark comes from the fame of this onion: “Sandu of Pericei”.
“The truth is we produce the finest onion. It
could be a firstling on the most precious tables, as caviar
is the pearl among the fish products. The Pericei onion is
a jewel in the world of vegetables”.
The cultivation of the onion is a tradition in
Pericei commune, and many inhabitants earn their living on
this activity, many of them considering the onion of the commune
of Salaj is the most tasteful in the country, as the conditions
of soil and temperature are the best. (enlarge
photo)

The golden-copper onion bulb has a height
of 4.5 meters, is made of spun glass and synthetic resins
and it is covered with copper sheet. The base plate on which
the bulb is set measures 2 meters in height and it is made
of concrete plated with travertine.

The are documents that attest the use of
the Pericei onion in the kitchen of the emperors of Vienna.

The Mayor of the commune, Boncidai
Csaba, says that the onion has now become a brand they
are proud of and which they want to be known by the entire
world. In his opinion, in each city there should be a symbol
in which the past, present and future of the city to be present.
Businessman Alexandru Tatar,
who paid for the metal structure, said: 'I once hated onions,
but now I have made my fortune from them.' And some glory,
too..

At Makovo in Hungary, there is
a (smaller) monument to the onion.

The city council of Drohobych,
Lviv region, Ukraine, intends to construct a monument to the
onion.The city that was the first to suffer from viral pneumonia
had problems with protection masks, anti-virus preparations
and disinfectors.
However, the folk medicine and its most
tested 'preparations' such as the onion and garlic, helped
prevent from a rapid spread of an infection. As the city mayor
Mykola Huk said, Drohobych residents like very much these
vegetables and cultivated them since the ancient times.
Although doctors' opinions regarding protective
properties of the onion in countering flu viruses differ,
they unanimously admit its positive influence on strengthening
the immunity and rich vitamin content.